One day, I was headed for Putalisadak. In fact, I always go there. It’s my job in there, stupid! Thanks to the undeclared blockade, petroleum products are meagerly supplied. Through black marketing, gallons of petroleum products are available in Kathmandu illegally. You have to pay at least 300 rupees for a litre of petrol. And for 200 rupees, you can easily get a litre of diesel. Mixing turpentine oil with the petroleum products is the manner in which criminals earn more money. Nevertheless, many Kathmanduites are rich enough to ride their vehicles paying triple the price for petroleum in the black market.

I am not one of them. So I use public vehicles. Sometimes I ask for lifts. Today was such a day. I waved to a biker at Tinkune Chowk. Luckily, he stopped. I asked where he was going. He replied – “Thapathali.” “Please drop me to Maitighar,” I said happily. He agreed. But this kind of conversation is not possible every day because bikers don’t always stop when I signal them to give me a lift. Many don’t care at all. A few say “I also am going there,” and only some big-hearted people stop and give a lift.

I want to share one interesting event. A couple of days ago, two girls with a boy (aged about 14) were standing in Baneshwor Chowk probably waiting for a public vehicle. A biker came by and stopped near them and asked. “Where are you going?” One girl replied – “We are here to put our little brother in a bus going to Gatthaghar.” Coincidentally, the biker was going that same way. But he refused to give the boy a lift saying – “If you girls were going, I would give you a lift. I won’t give a lift to a boy.” How shameful!

It may seem natural for males to be attracted towards the opposite sex but such incidents stated above are certainly lamentable. All in all, if you are a girl, you get lifts easily for the fact that most riders are males! Don’t take me otherwise but it is a fact. And there are Facebook group like Carpool to connect people asking for a lift and the lift-givers as well. In the initial days, carpool was a very helpful tool to give/ask for a lift. Sadly, it has turned into a mere chat-box these days.

Whatever the other aspects may be, I can surely say that this trend has made Nepalis more cooperative and strengthened the bond between them and helpful by giving/asking for a lift! And it is economical as well since the same amount of fuel will be spent after giving a lift that makes it more economical.